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Walk-off win gives Vikings doubleheader split with Gettysburg

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Lawrence University baseball team posted a walk-off win in the second game of a nonconference doubleheader with Gettysburg College at the Gene Cusic Classic on Saturday.

Lawrence (2-2) won the nightcap 2-1 after Gettysburg (8-4) took the opener 1-0.

The Vikings trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh of the nightcap, but Jake Gordon led off the inning with a single against Gettysburg starter John Donovan. After a wild pitch, Richie Foreman drew a walk.

Relief pitcher Chris Yoda then misplayed Alex Brewer’s bunt, and Gordon scored on the play. With runners at the corners, Davide Harris followed with a single to score Foreman and give Lawrence the 2-1 victory.

Sophomore Atley Gay went the distance for Lawrence to earn the victory. He allowed five hits, struck out five and walked three. Yoda didn’t record an out and took the loss.

In the opener, both teams received outstanding pitching performances. Eric Hungerford went the distance to record the shutout for the Bullets. He allowed only three hits, struck out five and did not walk a batter. Harris had two of Lawrence’s three hits.

Drew Doares was almost as good for Lawrence. He gave up just five hits, struck out six and walked four. The only run Doares allowed came in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of walks, a single and a fielder’s choice groundout.

Lawrence plays a junior varsity game on Sunday, and the varsity returns to action on Monday with a doubleheader against the University of Minnesota-Morris.

Vikings shut out St. Lawrence 2-0

CLERMONT, Fla. — Kara Vance and Shannon Murray teamed up to lead the Lawrence University softball team to a 2-0 shutout of St. Lawrence University in a nonconference game on Friday.

Vance went six-plus innings and allowed seven hits while striking out four and walking one. Murray came on in the seventh and retired the next three hitters in order to pick up the save.

Lawrence (1-1) picked up single runs in the third and fifth and that was enough for Vance and Murray.

Cathy Kaye, who went 2-3 with a double, started the rally in the third with a one-out single. Kaye then stole second and scored on Alex Chiodo’s single to put the Vikings up 1-0.

Lawrence made it 2-0 in the fifth when Kaye led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on Murray’s groundout.

Vance worked out of two bases-loaded jams to preserve the shutout. St. Lawrence (6-6) had four consecutive hits in the second inning but failed to score. Center fielder Tierney Duffy threw a runner out at the plate for the first out of that inning, and Vance struck out the next two hitters to retire the side.

Vikings open season with doubleheader split against Lakeland

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Lawrence University baseball team opened its season on Friday with a nonconference doubleheader split with Lakeland College at the Gene Cusic Classic.

Lakeland (4-4) won the opener 17-6, but the Vikings (1-1) took the nightcap 15-11.

In the nightcap, Lawrence rallied from a pair of deficits to take control. The Vikings trailed 2-1 after the second but scored four times in the top of third.

The Muskies grabbed the lead back with five runs in the bottom of the third to go up 7-5. Lawrence came right back to score six times in the fourth, and the Vikings added three more runs in the sixth to seal the victory.

Lawrence had three players with three hits apiece to pace a 17-hit attack. Jake Gordon went 3-for-4 and finished a homer short of the cycle. Gabe Henriques and Aaron Benz both went 3-for-4 as well.

Davide Harris, Sam Kossow, Phil Wisniewski and Richie Foreman all had two hits for the Vikings.

Senior Alex Brewer pitched three-plus innings to get the win in relief. Dan Taylor pitched the final 1.2 innings to close out the victory. Andy Chitwood made the start and took the loss for Lakeland.

Lakeland got off to a fast start and took advantage of walks to win the opener. The Muskies led 4-0 after the top of the first, and Lawrence pitchers walked 12 in the opener.

John Doran made the start for the Vikings and took the loss. Derek Loomans picked up the win for Lakeland.

Henriques went 3-for-4 with a double to pace the Lawrence offense, and Davis Ogilvie went 2-for-4 for the Vikings.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against Gettysburg College.

Vikings forced to cancel opening baseball game in Florida

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team was forced to cancel the opening game of its spring break trip to Florida on Thursday.

The Vikings have canceled Thursday’s game vs. Principia College, which was scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern time in Fort Myers, Fla.

Lawrence, traveling by bus to Florida, was stuck in traffic for three hours after an accident ahead of them on the highway. The Vikings are now scheduled to arrive in Florida this evening.

The Vikings are scheduled to open play on Friday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern time with a doubleheader against Lakeland College.

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings finding the right mix on softball diamond

The Lawrence University softball team has yet to feel the warm sunshine on their faces, but coach Kim Tatro has seen enough to know her Vikings will be better this season.

“We’re definitely an improved squad. We can say that with complete confidence,” said Tatro, who enters her 20th season at Lawrence.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm of a good combination of returning talent supplemented with new talent. I always have to be cautiously optimistic, but I sure like where we are right now with as much as we can tell being in the gym.”

Lawrence finally gets outside when the Vikings begin play Friday at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. The Vikings are scheduled to play 12 games over eight days before returning home.

Lawrence, which went 9-22 last season, will rely on its mix of proven returning players and a host of stellar rookies. The Vikings have 20 players on the roster, making this the biggest squad Tatro has ever had.

“It’s nice to have a variety of potential lineups based on our roster size,” Tatro said. “That gives us some variables we haven’t had in the past.”

One thing that hasn’t changed from a season ago is the Vikings’ reliance on pitcher Shannon Murray. An All-Midwest Conference and All-Great Lakes Region selection last season, Murray will throw the bulk of the innings for the Vikings.

“Shannon looks terrific,” Tatro said. “Good leadership, quality performance, works as hard as anyone on the team. She’s a complete package.”

Murray went 8-14 a season ago with a 3.70 earned run average. She struck out 107 and walked only 19 last season in 143.2 innings. Murray also led the team with a .344 batting average and drove in a team-high 21 runs. She also led the team with nine doubles and two triples and she hit a pair of homers.

“We definitely need Shannon’s bat in the lineup,” Tatro said. “Whether it’s the DP (designated player) or at first base.”

The Vikings have more pitching options this season to support Murray. Sophomores Kara Vance and Liz Barthels are back, and the Vikings also have freshmen Katie Schumacher and Jessica Demski.

“I think they all have different strengths,” Tatro said of her pitching staff. “It’s nice to have options. We won’t know the answers until we play.”

The Vikings also have options behind the plate. After missing last season due to injury, senior Gaelen Lombard-Knapp is back. She was the starter behind the plate in 2011 when she hit .241 and drove in 13 runs. Junior Alex Chiodo started the bulk of the games behind the plate last season.

“Gaelen has done a nice job orchestrating the defense and calling things,” Tatro said. “The other person it’s nice to have back there is Alex Chiodo.”

The rest of the infield also has strong returning players. Junior Cory Paquette is back at second base after hitting .268 a season ago. Junior Alissa Geipel, who has started at third and in the outfield, has made a “really good” transition to shortstop, according to Tatro.

Murray, Schumacher and Chiodo could all see action at first depending on who is pitching. Freshman Anna Wawiorka looks to be manning the hot corner at third but could also fill in at catcher.

The outfield is anchored by senior Cathy Kaye, an all-conference and all-region selection during her career. Kaye hit .270 last season with seven doubles, a triple, a team-high four homers and 19 runs batted in. She also swiped 13 bases and was only caught once.

Kaye will be coupled with rookies Tierney Duffy and Savanna Marsicek in the outfield. The Vikings also have great depth in the outfield with returning players Mary Diduch and Brielle Bartes in the mix.

“The quickness, the arm strength of the two freshman (Duffy and Marsicek) and their abilities at the plate are outstanding,” Tatro said. “You couple those two with Anna and they could be the three fastest kids on the team.”

Tatro also is looking for a spot for freshman Taylor Dodson, who “right now she could be one of our most consistent hitters.”

“You don’t want to get so excited that you look past the fact that you have inexperience in the lineup, but when see their ability and what they do in practice day in and day out, you have to think that will transfer onto the field,” Tatro said. “I know we’re going to have some growing pains from time to time, but I like where we’re at right now.”

Tough trip

The Vikings will face some challenges when they begin play in Florida. Lawrence faces a host of teams that had success last season. Lawrence’s opponents in the Sunshine State averaged 20.5 wins last season and two of them had more than 30 victories.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Vikings roll past MSOE 8-1

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s tennis team rolled to an 8-1 nonconference win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Friday night at Fox Cities Racquet Club.

The Vikings began the match by sweeping the three doubles matches, and Lawrence then took the Nos. 2 through 6 singles matches. Both Max Zlevor at No. 3 singles and Jeremy Andereck at No. 6 didn’t drop a game en route to victories. Brian DeCorte lost only one game at No. 5 singles and Craig Sherwood dropped only two game in his victory at No. 4.

Jason Dunn also won in straight set at No. 2 singles.

Box score

Registration open for Viking Bench Golf Outing

APPLETON, Wis. — Registration is now open for the Lawrence University Viking Bench Golf Outing, which will be June 10 at Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Links.

Proceeds from the Viking Bench Golf Outing go directly to the Lawrence University Department of Athletics in support of the Vikings’ 22 varsity sports teams.

The outing includes 18 holes of golf in a four-person scramble format, use of the driving range, cart, a welcome gift, a cookout lunch, beverage tickets and dinner. Raffle tickets also will be sold and many great prizes will be offered at this year’s outing.

The cost of the outing is $100 per person. For those wishing to attend the dinner only, the cost is $30. If you wish to make a donation to the outing or have questions, please contact Joel DePagter at joel.t.depagter@lawrence.edu or at 920-993-6281.

To register, go to: http://www.lawrence.edu/athletics/golf/golfouting.shtml and click on the online registration link. You can also download a registration brochure and return it to: Lawrence University Department of Athletics, 711 E. Boldt Way, SPC 16, Appleton, WI, 54911-5699.

 

Inside LU Athletics: Strong group of seniors set to lead Vikings

The six seniors on the Lawrence University baseball team are banking on this season being worth the wait.

After struggling through a tough first two seasons with the Vikings, the core of the 2012 team was a group of juniors. Those players helped Lawrence put together a seven-game win streak, the longest since 1980, and the most victories (14) in a season since 2006.

“They are about as special a group of guys as there can be to me. They were my first recruiting class,” Lawrence coach Jason Anderson said. “We’ve been through some really hard times together, some real challenges. They’ve become better men because of it.”

The group of seniors is headed by four-year starters Gabe Henriques, Davide Harris and Phil Wisniewski. It also includes regulars Tanner DeBettencourt, Alex Brewer and Richie Foreman.

“They’ve learned every lesson that I hoped they would,” Anderson said. “I hoped that we could have won more games, but maybe we can remedy that this season.”

Lawrence, which opens its season on March 14 with 12 games in Fort Myers, Fla., went 14-21 a season ago and returns that core of seasoned players.

Henriques returns to start at shortstop after hitting .358 last season with five doubles, five triples, a homer and 25 runs batted in. Harris made the move from second base to left field last season and will again start in the outfield. Harris hit .309 last season and scored a team-best 37 runs. Harris, who had six doubles, three triples and 14 RBIs, also stole a team-high 17 bases.

Wisniewski and DeBettencourt join junior Marc Linger to form Lawrence’s catching trio. Wisniewski led this group by hitting .309 last season with 10 doubles, three homers and 21 RBIs.

Brewer started in right field last season and hit .244 with a pair of homers and 13 RBIs. He is likely to see more action on the mound this season after posting a 2-0 record in relief in 2012. Foreman, who has been a reserve throughout his career, will push for playing time in the outfield during his final season.

The Vikings also return a mix of veteran players and outstanding young talent.

Junior Sam Kossow is back at first base after hitting .306 with five doubles, a homer and 15 RBIs last season. Junior Aaron Benz will be in the mix at first base and right field after transferring from UW-Oshkosh.

Sophomore Joel Birch, who hit .263 and drove in 20 runs last season, will see action at second along with freshman Gabe Warshaw. Sophomore Davis Ogilvie is at third, along with sophomores Dan Taylor and Jake Zdrojewski.

Sophomore Jake Gordon started in center field last season and hit .337, drove in 13 runs and swiped 11 bases in 2012.

“We’re still very young in most key areas,” Anderson said. “I’m optimistic but our league is tough and playing in Wisconsin is tough so you have to come to play every day.”

Lawrence also returns a youthful but deep pitching staff. The Vikings used four freshmen as their starting rotation last season and all are back for 2013. That group of Atley Gay (2-2, 4.66 ERA), Andrew Doares (4-6, 6.09 ERA, two shutouts), Kelton Jenkins (2-4, 5.36 ERA) and Ogilvie (1-3, 7.01 ERA) form the backbone of the pitching staff.

“Our pitching staff is young but we are very experienced,” Anderson said.

The Vikings also return key relievers in John Doran, Phil Clark and Taylor. Brian King, who was the team’s No. 1 starter in 2011, also has returned to Lawrence to give the bullpen even more depth. Rookie Miles Link will see action from the bullpen and be a backup on the infield.

“My hope for this season is to be in every game we play,” Anderson said.

Two records fall

The Lawrence track team broke a pair of records at UW-Stevens Point Last Chance Meet this past Saturday.

Freshman JP Ranumas broke his own record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.67 seconds. He set the mark of 8.76 earlier this season.

The distance medley relay team of Dan Thoresen, Tyler Herman, Mike Mangian and Sam Stevens set a Lawrence record with a time of 10:25.97. That broke the record of 10:33.27 that Thoresen, Mangian, Stevens and Cam Blegen set back in 2011.

Fencers take 10th

The Lawrence fencing team turned in a solid 10th-place finish at the 21-team Midwest Fencing Conference Championships this past weekend at Notre Dame.

The top individual finisher for the Vikings was Graham Jones, who was 10th in men’s sabre. The sabre contingent also led the way for Lawrence by finishing fourth during the team tournament. The Vikings fell to Michigan 5-1 in the third-place match.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

 

Ten Vikings earn honors from Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association

APPLETON, Wis. — Brad Scurfield and Brandon Boelter led Lawrence University’s selections to the All-Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association teams.

Scurfield (Midland, Mich.), a senior forward, and Boelter (Saginaw, Mich.), a freshman defenseman, were both named to the all-conference team for the first time. Freshman forward Logan Lemirande (Janesville, Wis.) and Boelter were both named to the all-freshmen team.

Scurfield, the team’s captain, posted 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points this season. In MCHA play, Scurfield had 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. Scurfield finished fifth in the league at 0.55 goals per game and eighth at 1.10 points per game.

One of the top special teams players in the conference, Scurfield was fourth in the MCHA at 0.25 power play goals per game and was first at 0.10 short-handed goals per game.

Scurfield finished his career with 40 goals and 46 assists for 86 points. He ranks sixth in career goals and eighth in career points.

Boelter posted six goals and 15 assists for 21 points during his rookie season. In league play, Boelter had six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. He was the top-scoring defenseman in the league at 0.90 points per game, and he ranked sixth overall among rookie players.

Lemirande led the team in scoring with 27 points on seven goals and a team-high 20 assists. He had nearly all of those points in conference play with seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in MCHA games.

Lemirande led the MCHA at 0.90 assists per game and his 20 assists this season is the third-highest season total in Lawrence history. He ranked third in the conference at 1.25 points per game and that ranked second among first-year players.

Seven Vikings were chosen for the all-academic team. To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and have a minimum 3.3 grade point average.

Named to the academic team were senior goaltender Kevin Aslett (Portland, Ore.), senior goaltender Michael Baldino (Woburn, Mass.), senior forward Phil Bushbacher (Glenview, Ill.), sophomore defenseman Kevin Killian (Orchard Lake, Mich.), sophomore forward Austin Rohaly (Huntington Beach, Calif.), junior defenseman William Thoren (Gothenburg, Sweden) and junior forward Paul Zuke (Ballwin, Mo.).

Baldino, a biology major, was named to the team for the third consecutive season. A government major, Bushbacher also was chosen for the third time. Aslett, an economics and government major, was chosen for the second time.  Thoren, an economics major, was selected for the second time. Killian (biology major), Rohaly (English and film studies major) and Zuke (economics and government major) were all chosen for the first time.

Lawrence finished the season with an 8-16-3 overall record.

Harris joins Lawrence football coaching staff

APPLETON, Wis. — Chris Harris has joined the Lawrence University football coaching staff, head coach Mike Barthelmess announced today.

Harris, a 2000 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, will serve as the offensive line coach for the Vikings.

“We are very excited to have a high-caliber coach like Chris join our football program,” Barthelmess said. “His depth of experience, both as a recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach, will dramatically impact what we are attempting to create for our scholar-athletes as we continue to move progressively forward.”

Harris comes to Lawrence from Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., where he had coached since 2010. Harris was the offensive line coach and director of football operations at Manchester. Harris helped turn around the football program during his three seasons at Manchester. The Spartans won just two games in Harris’ first season, but Manchester won six games during the 2012 campaign.

This is Harris’ second stint as a coach in the Midwest Conference. He was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Beloit College for two seasons. Harris coached with the Bucs during head coach Chris Brann’s two best seasons at Beloit. The Bucs posted an 11-9 record when Harris was on the staff in 2008 and 2009.

Harris began his coaching career as the defensive intern at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., in 2000. Harris went to Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, in 2001 and served as the offensive line coach from 2001 to 2003. Harris then worked as the offensive line coach at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, from 2003 to 2007.

Harris spent 2007 and 2008 as the graduate assistant offensive line coach at Minot State University in Minot, N.D. Harris earned his master of education degree with a physical education and human performance concentration in 2008.